Puja Khedkar challenges UPSC’s revocation of her IAS candidature in Delhi High Court

Puja Khedkar, a former trainee officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), approached the Delhi High Court on Aug 5 to challenge the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) decision to revoke her candidature.

The UPSC on July 31 had determined that Khedkar had falsified her identity to attempt the civil services examination more times than permitted and had imposed a permanent ban on her participation in any UPSC exams.

Earlier, on July 19, the UPSC had accused Khedkar of forgery and issued a show cause notice, proposing to cancel her candidacy for the 2022 Civil Services Examination (CSE).

In her legal petition, Khedkar argued that she was not given an opportunity to present her case before the UPSC made its decision and that the commission did not provide her with a copy of its order.

The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear her petition on Aug 7.

The UPSC had initially sent Khedkar a show cause notice on July 18, requiring a response by July 25. Khedkar requested an extension until August 4, which the commission granted, extending the deadline to July 30 as a final chance.

“Despite extension in time allowed to her, she failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed time,” reads the UPSC press release.

The UPSC explained that it struggled to track the number of times Khedkar had taken the examination because she had changed not only her name but also her parents’ names on her applications.

“The UPSC is in the process of further strengthening the standard operating procedure to ensure that such a case does not recur in the future,” the panel said.

Khedkar had appeared for the examination 12 times, while candidates from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) are allowed to attempt the exam only nine times. Controversy arose when Vijay Kumbhar, a Right to Information (RTI) activist from Pune, accused Khedkar of becoming a civil services officer by exploiting benefits reserved for the OBC category.

According to the rules, individuals with parents earning more than ₹8 lakh annually are considered part of the “creamy layer” and are ineligible for these benefits.

Additionally, Khedkar was alleged to have falsely claimed to be visually and mentally impaired.

However, the UPSC’s press release did not specify whether Khedkar had submitted false certificates regarding her OBC status and disability.

A Delhi court denied Khedkar anticipatory bail on August 1 and instructed the Delhi Police to broaden their investigation.

The court mandated that the police explore whether others might have improperly benefitted from OBC and disability reservations and investigate if any UPSC officials were complicit in the alleged fraud.